Fans were pleasantly surprised when "Street Fighter" warrior Akuma was made a playable character in "Tekken 7" by way of the "Fated Retribution" update. Sadly, this will be the final crossover players will ever see for the game.
"As far as more characters goes, right now, Akuma is the only one we have planned. [Game producer Katsuhiro Harada] and I have always been against guest characters because it kind of throws off the Tekken world and setting," senior game designer Michael Murray told PlayStation Lifestyle.
That being said, fans won't be seeing another character from a different realm make his/her way into the "Tekken 7" milieu, at least in the near future as Bandai Namco is not closing its doors completely. Murray reiterated that there are "no plans at the moment for additional crossovers" but he emphasized that they "are open to the possibility in the future."
Murray also took time to clarify that Akuma's inclusion in the "Tekken 7" universe is no mere "cheesy gimmick" too as the character actually ties into the fighting game's story pretty well. Akuma seems to be the only fighter that "fits the bill" required of "Tekken 7."
Akuma is allegedly tasked to do a favor he owes to Kazumi, which is to kill Mishima clan patriarch Heihachi. According to IB Times, Akuma's participation in the fighting game may also be the reason he is not showing up in "Street Fighter 5."
Notably, crossovers like this aren't unprecedented. "Mortal Kombat X," for one, has brought in characters like Predator and Jason Voorhees to the fray. "Super Smash Bros." has integrated tons of characters from various universes, such as Ryu from "Street Fighter" and Cloud Strife from "Final Fantasy 7."
"Tekken 7" is currently being developed for new-gen consoles Xbox One and PS4. There is no release date for that version yet although players in Japan can already play the game's arcade version, released February last year.
